Tax renewal is not controversial

Opinions don't become truth because they are presented loudly, frequently, or from a position of authority. Facts turn opinion into truth, and they should be our focus in the debate about the Columbia Avenue Business Improvement District (BID).

Dan Egan, a business owner on the avenue, recently was quoted in the Enquirer as one who opposes a renewed BID tax. He says there are a "strong number" of others who, like him, oppose it. He says it is a "colossal" waste.

Battle Creek City Commissioner Mary Lou Ramon says the assessment has "driven businesses out of the corridor," but she doesn't name any.

As a building owner on Columbia Avenue, and a recipient of one of its streetscape grants, my annual BID assessment is around $200. Is that enough to "drive out" a business?

We have strong emotional reactions to taxation. I understand how this can lead to hyperbole. Yet, I expect commissioners to use evidence-based decision making.

The Enquirer reported that five new businesses opened on Columbia Avenue and 25 building owners improved the condition of their properties because of the assistance they received from the BID. The expenditure was $228,000, or about $7,600 per location. This is the evidence which should determine the BID's future, not anecdotal evidence from me or anyone else!

The city commission should benchmark this investment with other cities to see if $7,600 per unit is an effective outlay for the results realized.

If it isn't, they should ask why. If the cost is comparable to other examples of success, the tax should be renewed, no matter how loud the volume grows of a few opinions to the contrary.

Mark Lambert

Owner of 537 W. Columbia Ave.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Tax renewal is not controversial

Opinions don't become truth because they are presented loudly, frequently, or from a position of authority. Facts turn opinion into truth, and they should be our focus in the debate about the